Buckwheat Flour (with recipe)

            This gray flour speckled with black is traditionally used in the United States for making buckwheat pancakes. Their Russian counterpart – blini – is not limited to the breakfast table; served with red caviar and sour cream, they render any meal exotic. Buckwheat flour can also be added to bread recipes in small amounts (approximately ½ cup buckwheat flour to 4 cups wheat flour). Because it contains no gluten, buckwheat flour will not rise on its own. Buckwheat flour will produce a dense but deliciously moist bread. See also Buckwheat.

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BLINI (BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES)

1 cup milk

½ cup water

2 tablespoons pressed vegetable oil or melted butter

2 tablespoons honey

1 egg

½ cup buckwheat flour

½ cup whole wheat pastry flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

• Beat together milk, water, oil, honey, and egg. Sift dry ingredients into liquid mixture and stir just enough to dampen the flour; do not overbeat. The batter should be rather thin.
• To cook, lightly oil a cast-iron griddle or heavy frying pan. Heat over medium heat until drops of water sprinkled on it dance. Spoon batter onto griddle; cook until bubbly on top, then turn over and brown the other side. Try not to turn more than once.
• Serve hot with butter and maple syrup; or with butter, sour cream, and red caviar; or with sugared ricotta.
• Makes 21 six-inch blini.